Name: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 285 min
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (softened (2 sticks)); 1 1/4 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup white sugar; 2 eggs; 2 tsp vanilla; 2 3/4 cups white flour; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 12 oz chocolate chips; 1 4 oz chocolate bar (chopped); flakey sea salt for topping

Elevate your regular cookies recipe with the addition of brown butter. This delicious Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies rendition tastes incredible and is sure to become your new go-to treat!

A Quick Look

Recipe Name: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ready In: 285 minutes
Serves: 36 cookies
Main Ingredients: butter, ¼ cup brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vanilla, ¾ cups white flour, baking soda, baking powder
Why You'll Love It: Elevate your regular chocolate chip cookies recipe with the addition of brown butter. This delicious Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies rendition tastes incredible and is sure to become your new go-to treat!

A tasty recipe for how to make chocolate chip cookies with brown butter

There is nothing better than a classic chocolate chip cookie... until now. Meet the brown butter chocolate chip cookie, a mouth watering twist on the treat we all love. This delicious recipe infuses 2 sticks of browned butter into the cookie dough for a caramel-ish flavor that sends the tastebuds on a ride!

These cookies are perfect for enjoying during the upcoming holiday season (you know we love holiday baking!), or at any time as a "just because" treat. The recipe yields 36 cookies, making these great for enjoying all week long, or for feeding a crowd!

stack of brown butter chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients in brown butter chocolate chip cookies

Ready to gather up all of your ingredients? Below is a list outlining exactly what you'll need. Don't forget to grab your favorite chocolate bar for an extra touch!

Butter: First up, you will need 1 cup of softened butter. That'll amount to 2 sticks. Aim to use softened butter, and not melted butter. To achieve this, allow the butter to sit at room temperature for at least an hour prior to creating the dough.
Brown sugar: Next is the brown sugar. Use 1 ¼ cup for the perfect brown to white sugar ratio. You can use dark or light brown sugar.
White sugar: And as for the white sugar itself, use ½ cup! By using both sugars, we achieve crispy edges and a chewy middle.
Eggs: 2 eggs will help all of the ingredients bind together properly, and it will help create a great cookie texture. They can be medium or large eggs.
Vanilla: Vanilla extract is a must! Use 2 tsp.
White flour: First up for the dry ingredients is 2 ¾ cup of all purpose flour. Be sure to measure this out carefully, as too much or too little will change the texture of the cookies.
Baking soda: Use 1 teaspoon of baking soda to help the cookies bake properly.
Baking powder: Then, follow the baking soda with 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
Salt: Salt makes a huge difference in cookies. That's why we include flaky sea salt at the end! As far as regular table salt goes, use ½ teaspoon in the dough.
Chocolate chips: Now for the chocolate! Throw in 12 oz of your favorite brand of chocolate chips.
Chocolate bar: Then, take things a step further by including 1 4oz chopped chocolate bar.
Flaky sea salt: Last but not least, sprinkle on some flaky sea salt when the cookies exit the oven!

ingredients for brown butter chocolate chip cookies

Tools used to make brown sugar chocolate chip cookies

You'll need a handful of standard baking tools to create this recipe, such as bowls, measuring cups, a hand mixer, etc. Two items not typically used for cookies include the cutting board and chopping knife. We'll be using these to chop the chocolate bar into chunks!

Saute pan
Whisk
Large mixing bowl
Hand mixer
Medium mixing bowl
Stirring utensil
Cutting board
Chopping knife
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Cookie scoop (optional)

To measure out all of the ingredients, you'll need the following sized measuring cups: ½ tsp, 1 tsp, ¼ cup, ½ cup, ¾ cup, and 1 cup.

How to make the best brown butter cookies

Let's dive in! Apart from chilling the dough, this recipe will come together with about 15 minutes or prep time or less. We'll start by browning the butter, and then we'll mix the wet ingredients and the dry before combining the two parts. After that, it's just chilling and baking!

We'll kick off this recipe by browning the butter. Grab a saute pan and set it over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt down and crackle. Whisk continuously and often during the browning period, which should be about 5-7 minutes. Once the butter has an amber-brown color (like that of maple syrup), turn off the heat. Pour the brown butter into a dish and let it cool for one hour.

Next, grab a large bowl and add the cooled brown butter. Using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the brown sugar and white sugar into the butter until the mixture becomes creamy. Then, add the eggs and vanilla and mix again until combined.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until everything is well combined.

Next, chop the chocolate bar into small chunks. Mix the chocolate chunks into the dough, followed by the chocolate chips. I like to reserve a few pieces of the chocolate bar to use on top of the cookies.

Let the dough chill for at least 4 hours (overnight preferred). If you go the overnight route, let the dough rest and soften for 30 minutes before scooping it to bake.

Roll the dough into 2 tbsp-sized balls and place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies become light golden brown around the edges. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Extra topping ideas

Have an extra strong sweet tooth? Love a good salty and sweet combo? Here are some extra toppings or mix-ins that you can add to achieve the perfect cookie for you!

Crushed pretzels
Chopped nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pecans)
Chopped candy (Twix, Reese's Cups, Kit Kats)
Mini M&Ms
Dark chocolate chips or extra semisweet chocolate chips
Caramel drizzle

Recipe Tips

Why do brown butter cookies taste better?

Brown butter adds a different flavor layer to cookies! Browning the butter gives it a sort of caramel flavor, and this tastes incredible alongside the other cookie ingredients. It's definitely a great way to mix up regular chocolate chip cookies.

Why are my brown butter cookies hard?

During the baking stage, cookies may wind up too hard if ingredient measurements are off. Because different amounts yield completely different cookies (i.e. too much sugar makes very flat and thin cookies, too much flour makes tall and stiff cookies, etc.), be sure to use measuring cups for the best results.

How do you keep cookies from getting hard?

After baking, it comes down to proper storage! Keep your cookies in a tightly sealed airtight container to prevent them from going stale. You can also stick a slice of bread in the container to keep the cookies softer!

Note: This may make cookies too soft, but it's definitely a method for preventing hard/crunchy cookies!

Is it better to use melted butter or softened butter for chocolate chip cookies?

Softened butter tends to yield better results! If you use melted butter that's been melted down in the microwave, it may still be hot when you mix it with the other ingredients. This can actually start to cook the egg! While you'll still get delicious cookies with melted butter, I recommend using softened for the best results. Allow your butter to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour prior to baking.

If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!

Are you in your cookie baking era? If so, I have plenty of unique and fun cookie ideas where this recipe came from. Try one of the below next!

Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa

Erin Antoniak